Mini-pupillages are short, funded periods of work experience with Chambers usually lasting for three days, from Tuesday to Thursday. They provide an opportunity for mini-pupils to meet members of Chambers, to be introduced to the type of work we do and to life in Chambers. 

Mini-pupillages involve attending court with members of Chambers, reading papers, carrying out research and drafting. 

Wherever possible mini-pupils will be provided with in-person opportunities to attend court and to meet members of Chambers. 

Chambers will look to offer 20 mini-pupillages per year, split into three periods: January to March, April to July and October to December. Mini-pupillages are not offered on Bank Holidays or during the Christmas, Easter or summer vacations.

Those who undertake an in-person mini-pupillage with FTB after submitting an application or winning an academic prize are entitled to reimbursement of their expenses in accordance with the paragraphs below.

A maximum of £20 will be offered for each day of the mini-pupillage to cover reasonable subsistence expenses and travel expenses within Greater London. A maximum of £100 will be offered to cover reasonable travel and subsistence expenses commuting to Chambers to those who live outside the M25. A maximum of £350 will be offered to cover accommodation expenses for those who can justify the need to stay within a hotel in London during the course of their mini-pupillage. Entitlement to reimbursement of the above expenses is cumulative.

Mini-pupils should submit a request for reimbursement via email to Vicki Cousins within one week of completing their mini-pupillage with a breakdown of the costs they are seeking reimbursement of and their bank account details. vicki.cousins@ftbchambers.co.uk. Mini-pupils are responsible for seeking VAT receipts where VAT is charged on qualifying expenses such as a hotel, for retaining copies of all receipts and for sending photographs or scans to their email to Vicki Cousins requesting reimbursement. Receipts are required for reimbursement of all expenses except where a reasonable explanation is provided for the absence of a receipt. 

Where a candidate proposes to stay within a hotel during their mini-pupillage, this should be explained and justified in the cover letter submitted with their application for a mini-pupillage. Where an offer of a mini-pupillage is made FTB will notify the successful candidate whether their accommodation expenses will be reimbursed.

The requirement to explain and justify reimbursement of expenses within the cover letter only applies to accommodation expenses. The intentions of candidates regarding reimbursement of their expenses are not considered when decisions are made to shortlist candidates for mini-pupillages.

There are additional sources of funding from other organisations that candidates may wish to explore, such as the Lincoln’s Inn Mini-Pupillage Grant.

The following timelines apply to applications for mini-pupillages. 

For the October to December period, applications must be received by 31 August. FTB aims to shortlist candidates for this period by the end of September. 

For the January to March period, applications must be received by 15 December. FTB aims to shortlist candidates for this period by early January.

For the April to July period, applications must be received by 1 February. FTB aims to shortlist candidates for this period by the end of March.

Applications are by cover letter (two pages or less) and CV, which should be submitted as a single PDF attachment to an email to andrew.briton@ftbchambers.co.uk. Please state in the subject-line the mini-pupillage period/s that you are applying for.

Candidates may submit a single application for consideration for multiple periods.

You are advised to use the cover letter to explain why you would like a mini-pupillage at Francis Taylor Building and why you are a suitable candidate, having regard to the marking criteria (see below). The cover letter should state any dates during the period applied for when you are not available.

The cover letter should set out (if appropriate) any request to attend experiences remotely at home, for Chambers to provide access to a laptop and for the funding of accommodation costs. Any request for the funding of accommodation costs should explain why hotel accommodation is reasonably required.

Prospective pupils are encouraged to undertake a mini-pupillage at Francis Taylor Building and / or to attend the virtual mini-pupillage day. Although we consider both to provide useful opportunities to meet prospective pupils, neither is a pre-requisite for their selection and our mini-pupillages are not assessed.

Chambers’ mini-pupillages and the virtual mini-pupillage are designed to be most useful to those who are eligible (or who will be shortly eligible) to apply for pupillage.

We therefore require that:

• Law students must be in at least their second year of a qualifying law degree by the time they undertake a mini-pupillage with us. More information on qualifying law degrees is available here.
• Non-law students must have at least started the GDL by the time they undertake a mini-pupillage with us.

We welcome applications from candidates who are now in work, having previously obtained a qualifying law degree or the GDL.

If you are unsure whether you are eligible or would like to request an exemption from the above requirements please contact us at the email address above before applying.

Applications, taken to be your CV and cover letter, are marked according to the following criteria:

• Academic achievement (10 marks);
• Intellectual ability (10 marks);
• Advocacy (10 marks);
• Interest in Francis Taylor Building (10 marks); and,
• Extra-Curricular activity (10 marks).